israel's prime minister benjamin netanyahu saying earlier today that israel would be a willing partner in a cease-fire with gaza's ruling militant group hamas. the new york times reporting that senior egyptian officials in cairo say israel and hamas are "very close" to a cease-fire agreement. president obama spoke with egyptian negotiators for a third time today on his way back from his trip. the u.s. is seeking an end to the crisis between israel and hamas. earlier today in the british house of commons, question time, viewers asked a number of questions about syria. william hague said -- here is what he said. >> what we have needed is a political transition that reflects the will of the assyrian people. -- the syrian people. on november 11, there was a major breakthrough with the establishment of the coalition of opposition forces, which has been welcomed by many syrians. i met with the president and his co-rice president's last friday. they have devoted themselves to widening support among all sections of syrian society and creating a detailed transition plan for syria. i encouraged